Losses of chromosome arms 4q, 8p, 13q and gain of 8q are correlated with increasing chromosomal instability in hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Chromosomal instability is a key feature in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) revealed recurring structural aberrations, whereas fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) indicated an increasing number of numerical aberrations in dedifferentiating HCC. Therefore, we examined whether there was a correlation between structural and numerical aberrations of chromosomal instability in HCC.


RESULTS
27 HCC (5 well, 10 moderately, 12 lower differentiated) already cytogenetically characterized by aCGH were analyzed. FISH analysis using probes for chromosomes 1, 3, 7, 8 and 17 revealed 1.46-4.24 signals/nucleus, which correlated with the histological grade (well vs. moderately,p < 0.0003; moderately vs. lower, p < 0.004). The number of chromosomes to each other was stable with exceptions only seen for chromosome 8. Loss of 4q and 13q, respectively, were correlated with the number of aberrations detected by aCGH (p < 0.001, p < 0.005; Mann-Whitney test). Loss of 4q and gain of 8q were correlated with an increasing number of numerical aberrations detected by FISH (p < 0.020, p < 0.031). Loss of 8p was correlated with the number of structural imbalances seen in aCGH (p < 0.048), but not with the number of numerical changes seen in FISH.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that losses of 4q, 8p and 13q were closely correlated with an increasing number of aberrations detected by aCGH, whereas a loss of 4q and a gain of 8q were also observed in the context of polyploidization, the cytogenetic correlate of morphological dedifferentiation.
Hertz
Sabine
S
Institute of Cell and Molecular Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Rothämel
Thomas
T
Skawran
Britta
B
Giere
Christian
C
Steinemann
Doris
D
Flemming
Peer
P
Becker
Thomas
T
Flik
Jacobus
J
Wiese
Birgit
B
Soudah
Bisharah
B
Kreipe
Hans
H
Schlegelberger
Brigitte
B
Wilkens
Ludwig
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D043171:Chromosomal Instability; D002882:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13 / Q000235:genetics*; D002894:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 4 / Q000235:genetics*; D002898:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011123:Polyploidy; D055815:Young Adult